1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to a system and method for dynamically modifying a sequence of slides in a slideshow set during a presentation of the slideshow.
2. Description of Related Art
Slideshow software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint™ or the like, is almost universally used for any type of professional presentation. Such software allows a user to design slides to be presented via a display device. The software further provides an interface through which a user may present the slides, transitioning from one slide to the next typically based on the user providing an input indicating a desire to transition backward or forward through a series of slides.
A common problem for a presenter, i.e. a user of the slideshow software presenting information to a group of one or more people based on the series of slides, to lose track of time as the presenter is discussing topics associated with each slide in the series of slides. Moreover, it is also a very common situation for a presenter to have some slides in the series of slides that are far more important to the information that the presenter is trying to convey to the group than others.
Currently, when a presenter loses track of time during the presentation, it is common for the presenter to ungracefully skip over or spend an unnaturally short period of time on the less important slides. It is often the case that time runs out for the important slides and the presenter is left with the situation where information that he/she wished to cover during the presentation cannot be adequately addressed. The presenter is left saying something like “I really wish I had more time to cover SDO” or the like. Thus, the presenter is not able to always convey all of the important information that he/she wishes to convey in the time period allotted and there is no mechanism for aiding the presenter in making sure that this information is able to be included in the presentation based on the time period allotted.
In one prior art mechanism, a computer assisted presentation method and apparatus are provided in which the remaining time in a presentation is monitored in real time and the system dynamically adjusts the presentation to fit available time constraints. Numerical priorities are assigned to the presentation frames and minimum, goal, and maximum times are also assigned to each presentation frame. During the presentation to an audience, the presentation tool monitors the progress of the presentation and the time remaining. The presentation tool dynamically adjusts goal times to fit the remaining time allotted and, if necessary, deletes entire frames using the pre-assigned priorities.
In addition to this known mechanism, it should be noted that there have also been a number of recent improvements in slideshow software to help the presenter in performing the presentation. For example, in Microsoft PowerPoint™, the presenter may simply key in a slide number in order to jump from one slide to a different slide in the slideshow set without having to sequentially flip through each intervening slide. In “Powerful PowerPoint Presentations,” BNET, Version 2, Sep. 13, 2006, various tips on how to enhance PowerPoint™ presentations are provided including associating recorded music with the slideshow set. In the article “PowerPoint tips: perfect presentations,” Simon Williams, Personal Computer World, Oct. 31, 2003, a mechanism for recording the time that is spent on each slide in the slideshow is described so as to aid a presenter in timing their presentation during rehearsals.
Other improvements to slideshow software include the ability to run a presentation using two monitors (i.e. on a laptop and a projector) using a presenter view in which elapsed time may be shown (see PowerPoint “About Running a Presentation on Two Monitors,” Microsoft Corporation). Moreover, PowerPoint™ may also be configured to provide a self-running presentation that automatically progresses through the slides of the slideshow set in sequential order based on custom slide timings (see “Create and Distribute a Self-Running PowerPoint Presentation,” Microsoft Corporation).